THE 


oUege  of  Physicians 


By  J.  NORMAN  HENRY,  M.D., 

Clinical  Professor  oi  Medicine,  Woman's  Medical  College  of  Pennsylvania  ; 

Physician  to  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital ;  Assistant  Physician  to  the 

Philadelphia  Hospital ;  Fellow  of  the  College  of  Physicians,  Etc. 


Reprinted  from 

Founders'  Week  Memorial  Volume, 

Philadelphia.  1683-1908. 


BlUMtUiCAi.  iJoRA 
UNIVtRSiTYOF     '      ■ 
IOSANl....... 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

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JOHN   REDMAN. 


College  of  Physicians. 


The  College  of  Physicians  of   Philadelphia 

By  J.  NORMAN  HENRY.  M.D. 

THE  College  of  Physicians  of  Philadelphia  was  founded 
about  the  year  1787,  though  unfortunately  the  exact  date 
is  unknown.  This  confusion  arises  from  the  absence  of  any  dates 
in  the  copy  of  the  first  address  of  the  President,  and  in  that  of  the 
first  Constitution.  The  earliest  record  of  a  meeting  is  that  of  Jan- 
uary 2,  1787,  and  though  there  is  much  evidence  to  support  the 
view  that  the  College  was  in  existence  prior  to  this  time,  we  are 
compelled  to  consider  that  day  as  its  official  birthday.  The  minutes 
of  that  meeting  show  that  nine  senior  and  four  junior  fellows  were 
present,  and  the  first  Tuesday  of  every  month  was  chosen  for  the 
regular  monthly  meetings.  A  committee  was  appointed  consisting 
of  Drs.  Rush,  Duffield,  and  Griffitts  to  prepare  a  certificate  of  mem- 
bership and  a  seal,  and  it  was  directed  that  the  Constitution  should 
be  published  in  the  newspapers.  It  subsequently  appeared  in  the 
Pennsylvania  Faclcei  and  Daily  Advertiser,  February  1,  1787.  The 
Officers  and  Fellows  at  the  time  of  this  first  recorded  meeting  were 
as  follows: 

President. — John  Eedman. 

Vice-President. — John  Jones. 

Treasurer. — Gerardus   Clarkson. 

Secretary. — James  Hutchinson. 

Censors:  William  Shippen,  Jr.;  Benjamin  Rush,  John  Mor- 
gan, Adam  Kuhn. 

Senior  Fellows. — John  Redman,  John  Jones,  William  Ship- 
pen,  Jr.;  Benjamin  Rush,  Samuel  Duffield,  James  Hutchinson, 
Abraham  Chovet,  John  Slorgan,  Adam  Kuhn,  Gerardus  Clark- 
son,  Thomas  Parke,  George  Glentworth. 

Junior  Fellows. — Robert  Harris,  Benjamin  Dulfield,  John 
Foulke,  James  Hall,  Andrew  Ross,  William  Currie,  John  Carson, 
William  W.  Smith,  Samuel  P.  Griffitts,  John  IMorris,  William 
Clarkson,  Benjamin  Say,  John  Lynn.^ 


^  John  Lynn,  the  last  name  under  "Junior  Fellows,"  was  dropped 
from  the  list  of  members,  probably  because  he  did  not  sign  the  Constitu- 
tion or  pay  the  entrance  fee.  He  was  present  at  only  one  meeting, 
October,  1787.     lie  is  not  included  in  the  list  of  the  "Founders." 


2  The  College  of   Physicians 

The  number  of  Senior  Fellows  was  limited  to  twelve,  while 
the  junior  membership  had  no  limitation  as  to  its  numbers.  The 
Senior  Fellows  alone  had  the  right  to  hold  office. 

At  the  meeting  of  January  2d,  the  first  address  of  the  first 
President  of  the  College,  Dr.  John  Kedman,  was  delivered;  the 
Constitution  was  signed  by  the  Fellows  and  an  order  issued  "that 
the  institution  of  the  new  society  should  be  proclaimed  to  the 
world,  and  that  all  who  were  friendly  to  the  progress  of  medical 
science  should  be  invited  to  join  in  its  promotion."  A  certificate 
of  membership,  by-laws,  and  a  design  for  a  seal  for  the  College 
were  adopted  at  a  meeting  held  on  February  6,  1787,  at  which 
were  present  seven  Senior  and  eight  Junior  Fellows.  The  seal  con- 
sisted of  a  broad  ribbon  with  buckle,  encircling  an  altar  on  which 
burns  the  lamp  of  science.  On  the  ribbon  is  the  legend  Sigillum 
Collegii  Medicorum  Philadelphia;  Institut.  A.D.  MDCCLXXXVII, 
and  beneath  the  altar  the  motto  "non  sibi  sed  toti." 

At  this  meeting  also,  the  first  scientific  paper  was  read  by 
Dr.  Push,  "On  the  Means  of  Promoting  Medical  Knowledge," 
and  on  March  6th  of  the  same  year  the  first  standing  committee, 
that  on  Meteorology  and  Epidemics,  which  has  continued  in  active 
service  for  a  period  of  ninety-five  years,  was  appointed. 

At  the  regular  meeting  held  on  April  3d,  the  first  election  of 
Fellows  was  held,  and  committees  were  appointed  to  consider  the 
building  of  hot  and  cold  baths,  and  to  establish  a  botanic  garden 
in  the  city. 

On  July  3d  the  Officers  of  the  Society  were  re-elected,  this 
being  the  first  election  of  Officers  that  is  recorded  in  the  min- 
utes. On  August  7th  "a  member  submitted  a  new  form  of  Con- 
stitution, which  was  made  the  order  of  business  this  day  three 
months"  and  was  adopted  November  6th.  In  September  of  this 
year,  1787,  the  College  memorialized  the  Legislature,  "Setting 
forth  the  pernicious  effects  of  spirituous  liquors  upon  the  human 
body  and  praying  that  such  a  law  may  be  passed  as  shall  tend 
to  diminish  their  consumption."  During  this  first  year,  one 
special  and  twelve  regular  meetings  were  held.  The  total  mem- 
bership was  twenty-nine.  The  entrance  fee  was  three  pounds 
(Pennsylvania  currency)  and  the  annual  dues  fifteen  shillings. 
Two  Founders  were  dropped  from  the  rolls  because  of  failure 
to  pay  their  dues.  The  College  held  its  meetings  at  Fourth  and 
Arch  Streets  in  the  building  of  the  Academy  of  Philadelphia. 


JOHN    MORGAN. 


College  of  Physicians. 


The  College  of  Physicians  3 

The  College  was  modeled  upon  the  lines  of  the  Eoyal  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  of  London,  and  consisted  of  a  body  of  men 
of  the  highest  professional  standing  who  met  at  stated  intervals 
to  read  and  discuss  scientific  papers  and  to  consider  questions 
of  public  health.  The  necessity  of  a  library  at  once  became 
apparent  and,  on  the  year  following  its  birth,  the  College  took 
the  first  step  in  founding  what  is  now  one  of  the  greatest  medical 
libraries  of  the  world.  On  June  3,  1788,  committees  were  ap- 
pointed "to  form  a  Pharmacopoeia  for  the  uses  of  the  College" 
and  to  outline  a  plan  for  the  formation  of  a  library. 

Following  a  request  to  contribute  books.  Dr.  John  Morgan, 
in  December,  1788,  presented  twenty-four  volumes  to  the  library, 
and  in  1789  made  a  further  donation.  This  was  the  germ  of 
the  present  magnificent  collection. 

The  library  at  this  time  was  under  the  direction  of  the 
Secretary  and  Censors,  and  its  growth  was  fostered  by  appro- 
priating for  its  use  some  portion  of  the  surplus  funds  that  might 
remain  over  at  the  end  of  each  year. 

In  1789,  several  events  occurred  of  importance  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  College.  The  first  of  these  was  the  incorporation 
of  the  College  by  act  of  Legislature  dated  March  26,  1789,  and 
the  second  the  enlisting  of  the  efforts  of  physicians  all  over  the 
country  to  aid  the  College  in  preparing  a  Pharmacopoeia. 

On  April  16,  1789,  the  College  presented  a  protest  to  the 
authorities  against  a  general  illumination  of  the  streets  which 
was  proposed  on  the  occasion  of  President  "Washington's  progress 
through  Philadelphia  on  his  way  to  his  inauguration  in  New 
York.  An  epidemic  of  influenza  was  then  prevalent  and  the 
framers  of  the  protest  were  evidently  of  the  opinion  that  the 
safety  and  comfort  of  their  patients  might  be  imperiled  by  undue 
ebullitions  of  patriotism.  They  certainly  put  their  case  strongly 
when  they  informed  the  Council  that  "a  general  illumination 
of  the  city  might  be  productive  of  fatal  consequences." 

During  this  year  also  (1789)  the  Legislature  requested  the 
College  to  supply  it  with  information  concerning  the  prevention 
of  the  spread  of  infectious  diseases. 

On  October  L5,  1789,  Dr.  John  Morgan,  a  Censor  of  the 
College,  founder  of  the  Medical  School  of  the  Universify  of 
Pennsylvania  and  ex-Direetor-General  of  Hospitals  during  ihe 
War  of  the  Pevolution,  died  after  a  brief  illness. 


4  The  College  of  Physicians 

On  April  21,  1790,  twenty  Fellows  representing  the  College, 
attended  the  funeral  of  Benjamin  Franklin.  The  by-laws  were 
first  printed  during  this  year,  and  two  of  the  Founders,  Dr. 
Gerardus  Clarkson  and  Dr.  Abraham  Chovet,  died.  In  1791,  the 
dues  of  the  College  were  increased  to  make  it  possible  to  hire  a 
room  of  sufficient  size  in  which  to  hold  meetings  and  house  the 
library.  The  initiation  fee  was  raised  to  $26.66,  and  the  annual 
dues  to  four  dollars.  The  College  was  then  moved  to  the  build- 
ing of  the  American  Philosophical  Society  in  which  a  room  had 
been  rented  for  three  years  and  a  half,  viz.,  from  December  10, 
1791,  until  June  10,  1794.  In  1792  Dr.  Waters  volunteered  his 
services  as  Librarian,  but  resigned  and  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Leib. 

In  1793,  the  College  addressed  the  Mayor  on  the  subject  of 
a  "malignant  and  contagious"  fever  which  was  then  present  in 
the  city,  and  the  following  recommendations  were  made: 

''First. — That  all  unnecessary  intercourse  should  be  avoided 
with  such  persons  as  are  infected  by  it. 

"Second. — To  place  a  mark  upon  the  door  or  windows  of 
such  houses  as  have  any  infected  persons  therein. 

"Third. — To  place  the  persons  infected  in  the  center  of  large 
and  airy  rooms,  in  beds  without  curtains,  and  to  pay  the  strictest 
regard  to  cleanliness  by  frequently  changing  their  body  and  bed 
linen;  also  by  removing  as  speedily  as  possible  all  offensive  mat- 
ters from  their  rooms. 

"Fourth. — To  provide  a  large  and  airy  hospital  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  city  for  the  reception  of  such  poor  persons  as 
cannot  be  accommodated  with  the  above  advantages  in  private 
houses. 

"Fifth. — To  put  a  stop  to  the  tolling  of  the  bells. 

"SixtJi. — To  bury  such  people  as  die  of  this  fever  in  carriages 
and  in  as  private  a  manner  as  possible. 

"Seventii. — To  keep  the  streets  and  wharves  of  this  city  as 
clean  as  possible.  As  the  contagion  of  the  disease  may  be  taken 
into  the  body,  and  pass  out  of  it  without  producing  the  fever, 
unless  it  be  rendered  active  by  some  occasional  cause,  the  follow- 
ing means  should  be  attended  to  to  prevent  the  contagion  being 
excited  into  action  in  the  body. 

"Eighth. — To  avoid  all  fatigue  of  body  and  mind. 

"Ninth. — To  avoid  standing  or  sitting  in  the  sun,  also  in  a 
current  of  air,  or  in  the  evening  air. 


The  College  of  Physicians  5 

"Tenth. — To  accommodate  the  dress  to  the  weather  and  to 
exceed  rather  in  -warm  than  in  cool  clothing. 

"Eleventh. — To  avoid  intemperance,  but  to  use  fermented 
liquors,  such  as  wine,  beer,  and  cider  with  moderation. 

"The  College  conceives  fires  to  be  a  very  ineffectual,  if  not 
dangerous,  means  of  checking  the  progress  of  the  fever.  They 
have  reason  to  place  more  dependence  on  the  burning  of  gun- 
powder. The  benefits  of  vinegar  and  camphor  are  confined 
chiefly  to  infected  rooms,  and  they  cannot  be  used  too  frequently 
upon  handkerchiefs  or  in  smelling  bottles  by  persons  whose  duty 
calls  them  to  visit  or  attend  the  sick." 

On  September  6th  there  is  a  note  of  a  letter  from  Dr.  Eush 
warmly  advocating  mercury  in  the  treatment  of  yellow  fever, 
"particularly  in  the  first  stage."  This  letter  immediately  brings 
up  the  story  of  the  controversy  in  regard  to  the  treatment  of 
yellow  fever  which,  in  all  probability,  was  the  cause  of  Dr.  Rush's 
resignation  from  the  College.  In  a  lecture  delivered  before  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  students,  Dr.  Eush  complained  bit- 
terly of  the  attacks  made  upon  him  by  Fellows  of  the  College, 
because  of  his  copious  blood-letting  and  large  dosage  of  calomel 
and  jalap  in  the  treatment  of  yellow  fever.  On  account  of  the 
epidemic  of  yellow  fever  there  was  no  meeting  of  the  College 
between  September  17,  1793,  and  November  5th  of  the  same  year. 
On  that  date  the  President  submitted  a  letter  from  Governor  Miffiin 
asking  for  information  in  regard  to  the  then  prevalent  epidemic  of 
yellow  fever,  and  particularly  requesting  an  opinion  as  to  its  origin, 
cause,  and  the  best  methods  to  stamp  it  out.  A  committee  was 
appointed  to  prepare  a  reply  to  the  Governor's  questions.  The  Col- 
lege, on  November  26th  adopted  the  report  of  the  committee  and 
replied  to  the  Governor  that  the  disease  was  brought  to  the  city 
by  vessels  after  the  middle  of  July.  "Cleanliness  of  the  streets,  the 
use  of  gunpowder  as  a  disinfectant,  and  of  unslaked  lime  in  privy 
wells  were  recommended." 

In  1793,  Dr.  James  Hutchinson,  a  Founder  and  the  first 
Secretary  of  the  College,  died  of  yellow  fever,  which  was  believed 
to  have  been  contracted  from  visiting  a  poor  woman  suffering 
from  that  malady.  Dr.  John  Morris,  also  a  Founder,  died  of 
the  same  disease  very  nearly  at  the  same  time. 

In  1794,  the  College  took  a  very  active  part  in  dealing  with 
broad  questions  concerning  "the  regulation  of  the  practice  of 


6  The  College  of    Physicians 

Physic  within  the  State";  the  establishment  of  a  quarantine,  and 
of  a  hospital  for  contagious  diseases.  These  matters  were  taken 
up  at  the  request  of  the  various  authorities  concerned;  in  one 
instance  the  Governor,  in  another  the  Legislature  of  the  State, 
and  in  another  the  local  Board  of  Health  asked  for  aid  in  dealing 
with  their  several  duties. 

Throughout  the  epidemics  of  ^93,  '97,  and  '98,  the  College 
aided  the  authorities  in  every  way  possible.  Meetings  were  held 
almost  daily,  and  bulletins  were  issued  setting  forth  the  means 
necessary  to  maintain  health  and  avoid  infection.  In  1798,  the 
Proceedings  of  the  College  were  published  "relative  to  the  pre- 
vention of  the  introduction  and  spreading  of  contagious  diseases." 
Subsequently,  in  the  same  year,  "Facts  and  observations  relative 
to  the  nature  and  origin  of  the  pestilential  fever  which  prevailed 
m  this  city  in  1793,  1797,  and  1798,"  were  published  and  dis- 
tributed to  the  members  of  the  Legislature,  City  Corporation, 
Board  of  Health,  and  corresponding  medical  societies.  In  the 
year  1799,  there  were  various  interchanges  of  communications 
between  the  Governor  and  the  College  concerning  the  subject  of 
epidemic  diseases. 

On  February  2,  1803,  Dr.  Glentworth  proposed  Dr.  Jenner 
for  Associate  Fellowship  in  the  College.  Dr.  Jenner  was  not 
elected. 

On  July  2,  1805,  William  Shippen,  Jr.,  was  elected  President 
in  place  of  Dr.  Eedman,  who  had  requested  that  his  own  resigna- 
tion be  accepted  after  eighteen  years  of  service.  In  1808,  Dr. 
Shippen  died,  and  Dr.  Adam  Kuhn  was  elected  President. 

For  several  years  following  this  period  the  College  passed 
through  a  time  of  more  or  less  inactivity  due,  perhaps,  as  sug- 
gested by  Dr.  Euschenberger,  to  the  variety  of  interests  claim- 
ing the  time  and  attention  of  the  Fellows,  several  of  the  most 
prominent  among  them  belonging  to  other  Societies,  such  as  the 
Academy  of  Medicine,  the  Chemical  Society,  the  Medical  Lyceum, 
and  the  x\merican  Philosophical  Society.  In  1817,  Dr.  Kuhn  died, 
and  in  July,  1818,  Dr.  Thomas  Parke  was  elected  to  succeed  him 
in  the  office  of  President. 

It  is  recorded,  as  a  matter  of  interest  and  comparison,  that 
in  1818  the  entrance  fee  was  $15,  and  the  annual  dues  $3,  making 
a  yearly  income  of  $54;  in  other  words,  in  1818  there  were  but 
eighteen  Fellows. 


WIMJAM    Sllin'KX,    .II{. 


'■'ill'«i'  of  I'hysicianR. 


The  College  of  Physicians  7 

In  1820,  we  again  find  the  municipal  authorities  addressing 
the  College  and  asking  for  information  and  guidance  in  dealing 
with  an  epidemic  of  "a  malignant  or  pestilential  disease."  A 
committee  composed  of  Drs.  Hewson,  Griffitts,  and  Emlen  was 
appointed  to  prepare  the  necessary  answers,  and  among  their 
recommendations  was  "the  prosecution  of  the  plan  now  in  con- 
templation for  removing  the  whole  of  the  buildings"  (on  Water 
Street)  "from  the  east  side  of  Front  Street,  inclusive,  to  the 
river,  beginning  at  Vine  and  ending  at  South  Street,  according 
to  the  original  plan  of  William  Penn,  the  wise  and  intelligent 
founder  of  our  city." 

On  December  5th  of  this  year  (1820),  the  entrance  fee  was 
reduced  to  ten  dollars. 

In  1821,  the  College  had  failed  to  pay  rent  for  its  quarters 
for  four  years,  and  money  had  to  be  borrowed  and  a  note  given 
in  order  to  raise  the  sum  necessary  to  pay  the  arrears.  In  1823, 
after  other  accounts  such  as  the  bills  for  fuel,  etc.,  had  been 
paid,  the  College  was  in  debt  to  the  Treasurer  to  the  extent  of 
$18.62. 

On  November  9,  1824,  the  College  held  a  special  meeting 
to  consider  the  staying  of  the  execution  of  one  John  Zimmerman, 
of  Orwigsburg,  Schuylkill  County,  who  was  then  under  sentence 
of  death  for  the  murder  of  his  daughter.  Dr.  Joseph  Parrish 
had  reported  to  the  College  that,  so  far  as  he  could  judge  by 
hearsay,  the  prisoner  was  insane  and  irresponsible  at  the  time 
the  act  was  committed.  The  College,  at  this  special  meeting, 
addressed  a  communication  to  the  Governor  of  the  State,  asking 
that  the  execution  of  Zimmerman  be  stayed  until  all  reasonable 
doubt  of  his  mental  condition  should  be  settled.  On  January 
22,  1825,  the  Governor  replied  that,  upon  receipt  of  the  letter 
from  the  College,  the  execution  had  been  postponed  until  March 
30th,  and  asked  that  the  College  appoint  certain  of  its  members 
to  visit  and  examine  the  prisoner  and  acquaint  him  with  his  true 
mental  condition.  Drs.  Parke,  Parrish,  and  Moore  journeyed  to 
Orwigsburg  and  spent  two  days  examining  the  prisoner.  They 
found  him  to  be  insane  and  irresponsible  as  regards  his  act  and, 
on  so  notifying  the  Governor,  had  the  satisfaction  of  securing 
his  release  from  the  death  penalty.  The  College  was  put  to  the 
expense  of  $50.25  incurred  by  this  commission — a  very  severe 
drain  upon  its  scanty  resources. 


8  The  College  of   Physicians 

'  In  May,  1837,  a  resolution  was  adopted,  making  it  compul- 
sory for  each  Fellow  in  turn  to  read  at  each  stated  meeting  an 
original  paper,  or  pay  a  fine  of  $1.  The  College  at  this  date  could 
not  afford  to  publish  Transactions  and  permission  was  accorded 
the  Fellows  to  publish  their  papers  in  the  North  American  Med- 
ical and  Surgical  Journal.  During  this  year  (1827)  the  meeting 
hour  was  changed  from  the  afternoon  to  the  evening,  the  time 
adopted  for  the  future  being  7  p.m.  from  October  to  March,  and 
8  P.M.  from  April  to  September. 

In  January,  1832,  the  College,  through  a  committee  com- 
posed of  Drs.  Otto,  Bache,  and  Wood,  conferred  with  one  from 
the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  upon  the  important  matter 
of  introducing  the  Pharmacopoeia  into  general  use,  and  recom- 
mended the  adoption  of  the  one  prepared  by  the  National  Med- 
ical Convention  of  1820.  This  important  subject,  the  establish- 
ment of  a  Pharmacopoeia,  was  first  discussed  in  the  College  on 
June  3,  1788,  and  had  occupied  its  attention  more  or  less  con- 
tinuously until  the  decision  above  mentioned,  was  reached.  On 
April  12th  of  this  year,  the  Board  of  Health  asked  for  informa- 
tion from  the  College  in  regard  to  an  epidemic  of  cholera  which 
was  then  present  in  the  city.  The  College,  through  a  report  of  a 
committee,  replied  in  due  time.  On  November  26,  1833,  the 
Treasurer  reported  a  balance  on  hand  of  $308.42,  which  was  or- 
dered to  be  invested.  Dr.  Euschenberger,  in  his  history,  calls  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  of  this  being  the  first  instance  of  financial  ease  in 
the  College  for  a  period  of  forty-six  years.  In  1833,  a  committee 
was  appointed  to  investigate  the  by-laws  and  determine  whether 
or  no  any  changes  were  necessary.  Alterations  of  considerable  im- 
portance were  effected.  The  number  of  Associate  Fellows  was  lim- 
ited to  forty,  ten  of  whom  should  be  foreign.  Candidates  for  fellow- 
ship were,  for  the  future,  to  be  proposed  by  three  Fellows,  and  the 
entrance  fee  was  made  $10  and  the  annual  dues  $3.  The  by-laws 
provided  for  the  following  committees :  Library,  Theory  and  Prac- 
tice of  Medicine,  Surgery,  Midwifery,  Diseases  of  Children,  Materia 
Medica  and  Pharmacy,  Meteorology  and  Epidemics,  and  Public 
Hygiene.  These  committees  were  to  submit  annual  reports.  A 
special  committee  existed  for  inspecting  and  passing  judgment  on 
papers  written  for  publication  in  the  Transactions. 

On  January  9,  1835,  Dr.  Thomas  Parke,  the  President  and 
last  of  the  Founders,  died  in  his  eighty-sixth  year.     Dr.  James 


The  College  of  Physicians  9 

was  elected  President  March  3,  1835,  and  died  in  July  of  the 
same  year.     He  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Thomas  T.  Hewson.     ' 

On  September  6,  1836,  a  committee  of  the  trustees  of  the 
Preston  Eetreat  and  Lying-in  Charity  Hospital  asked  information 
from  the  College  as  to  the  best  plan  for  a  building  for  its  par- 
ticular purpose.  The  College  submitted  this  request  to  the  Com- 
mittee on  Midwifery  which,  in  turn,  reported  to  the  College,  and 
the  report  was  then  sent  to  the  trustees  of  the  Preston  Retreat. 
On  January  1,  1839,  the  College  advised  the  Legislature  to  place 
public  squares  with  fountains  in  every  district  of  the  city.  The 
College  this  year  was  again  able  to  invest  some  surplus  funds 
($222.23).  In  1841,  a  committee  on  publication  of  the  Transac- 
tions was  appointed,  and  it  was  determined  to  publish  them  quar- 
terly. On  jSTovember  7,  1843,  the  College  advised  the  purchase 
by  the  city  of  Lemon  Hill,  now  in  Fairmount  Park,  to  protect 
from  contamination  the  Schuylkill  River,  which  then  supplied, 
as  it  still  does,  much  of  the  drinking  water  of  the  city.  In  No- 
vember of  this  year  the  College  received  a  request  from  the  New 
York  State  Medical  Society  to  appoint  delegates  to  a  National 
Medical  Convention  of  all  the  medical  institutions  of  the  United 
States.  After  due  consideration  on  the  part  of  a  committee 
appointed  for  the  purpose,  the  invitation  was  declined. 

At  this  period  the  quarters  of  the  College  became  too  small 
for  the  increasing  number  of  members  and  the  need  for  space 
of  the  growing  library.  Committees  were  appointed  to  consider 
the  questions  of  building  a  hall,  joining  with  other  societies  to 
procure  a  hall  which  could  be  used  by  each  of  the  contributing 
associations,  or  renting  more  commodious  rooms.  On  July  1, 
1845,  the  College  moved  into  the  building  of  the  Mercantile 
Library  Company  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Fifth  and  Library 
Streets.  The  committee  in  charge  had  succeeded  in  renting  on 
the  third  floor  of  this  building,  a  large  room  of  sufficient  size  to 
accommodate  the  meetings  and  give  ample  space  for  the  library. 
The  rental  of  this  apartment  added  greatly  to  the  expenses  of 
the  College,  and  the  furnishing  and  moving  of  the  College  prop- 
erty were  provided  for  by  liberal  private  subscriptions  from  tlie 
Fellows.  Dr.  Rusehenberger  notes  that  "for  the  first  time  the 
record  of  Proceedings  was  headed,  'Hall  of  the  College.' " 

"In  1846,  the  College  set  the  seal  of  its  disapprobation  upon 
the  attempt  to  get  a  )>a1  cut  for  aniusthetic  ether  under  ihe  name 


10  The  College  of    Physicians 

of  'Letheon.'  In  the  following  year  it  condemned  as  an  offense, 
which  was  sometimes  a  crime,  the  prescription  of  medicines  by 
apothecaries.  In  1848,  it  encouraged  and  aided  the  formation  of 
the  Medical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  and  sent  delegates  to  the 
Convention  that  organized  it."^ 

In  1848,  the  College  adopted  a  fee-bill,  but  later  on,  when 
it  was  found  that  it  did  not  meet  the  requirements  of  the  times, 
it  Avas  abolished. 

In  1849,  the  museum  of  the  College  was  begun  and  a  building 
fund  started.  In  1851,  all  committees  were  abolished,  with  the 
exception  of  that  on  meteorology  and  epidemics.  In  April  of 
the  same  year,  the  meeting  night  was  changed  from  the  first 
Tuesday  to  the  first  Wednesday  of  every  month.  In  July,  1854, 
the  "picture  house"  of  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital  was  leased,  f^nd 
the  furniture  and  library  transferred  from  the  Mercantile  Library 
Company  building.  In  1849,  as  previously  stated,  the  patholog- 
ical museum,  which  now  bears  the  name  of  Dr.  Thomas  Dent 
Miitter  was  begun.  Its  foundations  were  of  very  modest  propor- 
tions. A  Curator  and  Museum  Committee  were  appointed,  and 
$50  annually  was  ordered  to  be  expended  on  building  cases  and 
preparing  and  arranging  specimens.  Dr.  John  Neill  was  the  first 
Curator  and  Drs.  Moreton  Stille,  Edward  Hallowell,  and  Isaac 
Parrish  constituted  the  first  Museum  Committee.  Dr.  B.  H. 
Coates  presented  a  microscope  and  the  museum  was  further  in- 
creased by  the  addition  of  a  number  of  specimens  from  the  late 
Dr.  Parrish^s  collection.  In  June,  1856,  a  special  meeting  of  the 
College  was  convened  to  receive  a  communication  from  Dr.  Miit- 
ter. Dr.  S.  Weir  Mitchell  announced  that  Dr.  Miitter  was  willing 
to  present  his  collection  of  pathological  specimens  to  the  College, 
together  with  the  sum  of  $30,000  to  pay  for  the  services  of  a 
lecturer  and  to  add  to  the  specimens  in  the  museum,  providing 
the  College  on  its  part  would  place  the  valuable  collection  in  a 
fireproof  building. 

Dr.  Miitter  stated  that  his  collection  had  been  assembled 
after  twenty-four  years  of  work,  and  that  he  had  been  offered  a 
sum  of  $20,000  for  it.  He  suggested  that  the  Curator  of  the 
College  Museum  should  be  appointed  Curator  of  his  collection 
also,  thus  showing  that  he  desired  the  two  to  remain  separate. 
The  offer  was  one  which  the  College  could  little  afford  to  refuse 


2  stille,  "Reminiscences  of  the  Colleffe." 


o  "^ 

t.  c 


The  College  of  Physicians  11 

and  3'et,  with  its  accompanying  condition,  a  difficult  situation  was 
created.  A  committee  was  appointed  which  reported  to  the  Col- 
lege their  opinion  of  the  great  value  of  this  collection  both  to 
the  College  and  to  the  profession  at  large,  but  were,  of  course, 
unable  at  the  time  to  advise  final  proceedings  in  view  of  the 
absence  of  funds  for  a  suitable  fireproof  building.  Dr.  Miitter 
expressed  considerable  disappointment  at  the  failure  to  reach  a 
satisfactory  conclusion  in  the  matter  of  accepting  his  gift  and 
went  abroad,  after  stating  that  he  was  too  ill  and  too  busy  to 
give  the  proper  time  and  care  to  the  arrangement  between  the 
College  and  himself.  Thus  the  question  hung  fire  until  October, 
1858,  when  Dr.  Miitter  again  expressed  himself  as  willing  to 
renew  negotiations  with  a  view  to  effecting  the  transfer  of  his 
museum.  The  next  step  was  the  statement  of  Dr.  Miitter  that 
he  wished  an  agreement  to  be  made  to  finish  a  fireproof  building 
within  three  years,  and,  on  the  committee  expressing  their  belief 
in  the  impracticability  of  doing  this,  he  agreed  to  the  period 
being  prolonged  to  five  years.  Dr.  Mutter  signed  the  agreement 
on  December  11,  1858,  and  the  officers  of  the  College  on  January 
8,  1859.  Dr.  Mutter  then  placed  his  collection  in  the  hands  of 
three  trustees  and  left  for  Europe,  where  he  died  in  March,  1859. 
Four  years  later,  in  March,  1863,  the  building  at  Thirteenth  and 
Locust  Streets  was  finished  and  ready  for  occupation.  The  trus- 
tees thereupon,  after  being  satisfied  by  expert  opinion  of  the 
fireproof  quality  of  the  new  home  for  the  collection,  announced 
their  intention  of  paying  to  the  chairman  of  the  Miitter  Miiseum 
Committee,  the  income  of  the  deed  of  trust  executed  by  Dr. 
Miitter..  This  deed  provided  for  the  payment  annually  of  $300 
to  a  curator  and  $200  to  a  lecturer,  "and  the  remainder  of  said 
income  to  the  preparing,  fitting  up,  keeping  in  order,  increasing 
and  insuring  of  pathological  and  anatomical  preparations  and 
specimens,"  etc.  The  specimens  already  belonging  to  the  College 
Museum  were  then  combined  with  those  of  the  Miitter  Museum 
and  placed  under  the  care  of  the  Curator  and  the  Miitter  Museum 
Committee.  The  Museum  grew  steadily  for  many  years  through 
the  acquisition  of  many  new  specimens  by  purchase  and  gifts. 
The  income  of  the  fund,  however,  was  by  no  means  expended, 
and  surplusage  arose  which,  from  time  to  time,  was  partly  in- 
vested, and  in  part  disbursed  to  secure  valuable  new  collections. 

In  187G,  the  now  building  bccnmo   inadequate  for  the  large 


12  The  College  of  Physicians 

and  steady  increase  in  size  of  these  two  valuable  branches  of  the 
institution,  the  library,  and  the  museum.  Further  addition  of 
specimens  was  curtailed,  and  the  income  of  the  Miitter  fund  was 
allowed  to  accumulate  until,  in  1883,  the  balance  reached  $7000. 
The  College  proposed  to  borrow  from  this  accumulated  income 
of  the  Miitter  fund  in  order  to  enlarge  the  building  and  provide 
suitable  accommodation  for  the  specimens.  This,  however,  could 
not  be  done  until  a  legal  opinion  had  been  obtained  to  determine 
if  this  expenditure  would  fall  properly  within  the  deed  of  trust 
which,  by  any  misappropriation  of  the  funds,  would  be  forfeited 
by  the  College.  An  amicable  suit  was  arranged  which  was  heard 
before  a  master  and  finally  reported  to  the  court,  when  the  judge 
directed  that  the  accumulated  income,  or  some  part  of  it,  might 
be  borrowed  by  the  College.  Articles  of  covenant  were  then 
drawn  up  which  gave  leave  to  the  Miitter  Museum  Committee  to 
lend  the  College  a  sum  of  $5000  for  the  specific  purpose  of  en- 
larging the  space  for  the  Mutter  Museum  and,  at  the  same  time, 
contained  a  clause  indemnifying  the  museum  committee  from  any 
liability  in  the  f^^ture.  The  enlargement  of  the  building  was  then 
undertaken  and  a  large,  well-lighted  third  story  was  added  to 
the  Hall,  and  the  College  and  Miitter  collections  were  placed  therein 
and  included  under  the  name  of  the  latter. 

Dr.  Miitter's  gift  provided,  as  already  stated,  a  sum  of  money 
for  the  payment  of  a  lecturer  on  surgical  pathology  to  be  ap- 
pointed once  in  three  years,  and  to  deliver  annually  a  course  of 
lectures.  The  terms  of  the  legacy  state  that  such  courses  should 
consist  of  not  less  than  ten  lectures  annually.  In  spite  of  every 
reasonable  effort  this  requirement  of  the  legacy  has  not  been 
lived  up  to.  At  the  present  time  one  lecture  is  delivered  an- 
nually on  some  point  of  interest  in  surgical  pathology,  and  usu- 
ally a  large  audience  of  Fellows  and  other  physicians  is.  attracted. 
This  departure  from  the  original  provision  of  the  legacy  has  been 
sanctioned  by  the  College  on  request  of  the  Miitter  Museum 
Committee.  The  Mutter  lectures  have  in  successive  years  been 
delivered  by  Drs.  John  H.  Packard,  Harrison  Allen,  John  H. 
Brinton,  J.  Solis-Cohen,  Samuel  W.  Gross,  Edward  0.  Shakes- 
peare, Henry  F.  Formad,  Oscar  H.  Allis,  Eoswell  Park,  De  Forest 
Willard,  John  B.  Eoberts,  H.  W.  Cushing,  George  H.  Monks, 
John  Rogers,  and  George  W.  Crile,  whose  names  alone  suffice  to 
prove  the  value  of  their  discourses. 


HAM.   (Jl'    'illK    CA)\AjKV,1':    at    TlllKTi-:K.\'riI    AMI    LOCUST    STKICICTS. 


f'ollr'Kf'  of  Physicians. 


The  College  of  Physicians  13 

For  several  years  past  valuable  courses  of  instruction  have 
been  given  in  the  Museum  to  the  students  of  the  different  med- 
ical schools.  The  specimens,  illustrating  gross  pathological  anat- 
omy and  especially  the  diseases  of  bones,  are  probably  unrivaled 
by  any  similar  collection  in  this  country. 

In  1867,  the  College  had  memorialized  the  Legislature  to 
legalize  dissection,  and  the  efficient  law  of  1883,  which  now  gov- 
erns the  practice  of  this  essential  part  of  medical  education,  and 
with  which  the  name  of  Dr.  William  S.  Forbes  is  indelibly  asso- 
ciated, took  its  origin  in  this  proceeding. 

In  January,  1883,  Dr.  Alfred  Stille  was  elected  President, 
and  in  Febi-uary,  Dr.  S.  Weir  Mitchell  established  an  entertain- 
ment fund  by  a  generous  gift  of  $5000.  During  this  month  also 
the  College  memorialized  Congress  concerning  the  National 
Board  of  Health,  and  recommended  an  increased  appropriation. 
Between  1875  and  1883,  the  College,  either  alone  or  in  con- 
junction with  other  medical  societies,  petitioned  Congress  against 
reducing  the  appropriation  for  the  Army  Medical  Museum 
Library,  and  in  favor  of  publishing  the  subject  catalogue  of  the 
"National  Medical  Library"  (Library  of  the  Surgeon-General's 
Office).  The  College  also  petitioned  the  Legislature  for  a  law 
protecting  professional  communications  between  physicians  and 
patients. 

In  April,  1883,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  confer  with  the 
College  of  Pharmacy  on  the  question  of  amending  the  present 
laws  governing  the  sale  of  poisons,  and  in  October  the  Council 
was  constituted. 

In  November,  1883,  Dr.  Joseph  Leidy  was  exempted  from 
the  payment  of  dues  as  a  mark  of  appreciation  of  his  scientific 
achievements.  Dr.  Samuel  Lewis  was  elected  President  in  Jan- 
uary, 1884,  and  resigned  the  same  year,  and  Dr.  J.  M.  DaCosta 
was  elected  to  complete  his  unexpired  term.  Dr.  J.  G.  Hunt  and 
Dr.  Henry  F.  Formad  were  exempted  from  the  payment  of  dues 
in  recognition  of  their  scientific  attainments.  In  June,  1884,  the 
Samuel  D.  Gross  Library  was  received  from  the  Philadelphia 
Academy  of  Surgery  as  a  special  deposit,  and  in  July,  a  bust  of 
Dr.  Gross,  by  Obermeyer,  was  presented  by  A.  Haller  Gross,  Esq., 
executor  of  Dr.  Gross's  estate.  In  September,  1884,  a  reception 
was  hekl  in  honor  of  the  members  of  the  American  and  British 
Associations  for  the  advancement  of  Science,  the  first  under  the 


14  The  College  of  Physicians 

provisions  of  the  S.  Weir  Mitchell  Entertainment  Fund.  A  sum 
of  $2153.23  was  received  from  the  estate  of  Dr.  George  B  Wood 
on  account  of  the  legacy  of  $10,000  and  an  annuity  of  $500,  left  by 
him  to  the  College.  The  meetings  in  July,  August,  and  Septem- 
ber were  omitted  by  a  vote  amending  the  by-laws  governing  stated' 
monthly  meetings.  In  November,  188-1,  a  committee  of  five  was 
appointed  to  consider  the  union  of  the  library  of  the  Pennsylva- 
nia Hospital  with  that  of  the  College  of  Physicians.  This  propo- 
sition was  indefinitely  postponed.  A  committee  to  arrange  a  cele- 
bration of  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  College  was 
appointed.  A  committee  was  also  appointed  to  address  Select 
and  Common  Council  on  the  question  of  the  precautions  to  be 
taken  to  avert  the  threatened  invasion  of  Asiatic  cholera  during 
the  coming  year.  A  communication  on  this  subject  from  the 
National  Board  of  Health  was  read  and  referred  to  this  com- 
mittee. In  February,  1885,  the  College  sent  to  the  Legislature 
a  remonstrance  against  a  bill  to  prevent  physiological  experi- 
ments upon  living  animals,  declaring,  as  its  opinion,  "that  scien- 
tific experimentation  upon  the  lower  animals  is  essential  to  the 
progress  of  medical  science."  A  copy  of  Eembrandt's  School  of 
Anatomy  was  presented  to  the  College  by  Mrs.  Small  and  Mrs. 
S.  Weir  Mitchell.  In  1885,  the  Publication  Committee  was  in 
debt  to  the  extent  of  $822.33,  and  a  proposition  was  made  to 
publish  the  Transactions  in  the  Medical  Times.  By  the  gener- 
osity of  Dr.  DaCosta  this  debt  was  paid  in  great  part,  and  the 
method  of  publishing  the  Transactions  was  continued.  In  No- 
vember, 1885,  Mrs.  Helen  C.  Jenks  established,  in  memory  of  her 
husband,  the  William  F.  Jenks  Fund  by  presenting  $5000,  the 
income  of  which  was  to  be  awarded  every  three  years  to  the 
author  of  the  best  essay  on  a  subject  connected  with  obstetrics 
and  the  diseases  of  women  and  children.  This  sum,  which  had 
accumulated  until  it  amounted  to  $7000,  was,  in  1900,  with  the 
approval  of  Mrs.  Jenks,  converted  into  a  library  fund  for  the  pur- 
chase of  literature  relating  to  obstetrics  and  the  diseases  of  women 
and  children. 

In  January,  1886,  Dr.  S.  Weir  Mitchell  was  elected  Presi- 
dent. In  June,  1886,  512  volumes,  principally  on  ophthalmolog- 
ical  subjects,  were  presented  by  Mrs.  J.  F.  Weightman.  The 
College  accepted  the  Parry  Library  and  the  library  of  the  Obstet- 
rical Society  as  permanent  deposits.    The  celebration  of  the  cen- 


The  College  of  Physicians  15 

tennial  of  the  foundation  of  the  College  was  held  on  January  3 
and  4,  1887.  The  program  on  this  occasion  was  as  follows:  A 
commemorative  address  by  the  President,  Dr.  S.  Weir  Mitchell, 
was  delivered  at  Association  Hall,  Fifteenth  and  Chestnut  Streets, 
at  7.30  P.M. ;  a  reception  in  the  Hall  of  the  College,  at  9.30  p.m., 
followed.  On  January  4th,  a  special  meeting  was  held  at  which 
Dr.  Alfred  Stille  delivered  an  address.  This  was  followed  by  the 
introduction  of  newly-elected  Associate  Fellows,  who  were  wel- 
comed in  an  address  by  Dr.  J.  M.  DaCosta.  Luncheon  was  served 
in  the  museum  room,  and  a  dinner  on  the  same  evening  was  held 
in  the  ball  room  of  the  Union  League.  Dr.  Mitchell  was  re- 
elected President.  In  April,  1887,  a  portrait  of  Dr.  John  Morgan 
was  hung  in  the  Hall  of  the  College,  with  the  understanding  that 
the  owner.  Dr.  Collins,  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  might  remove  it  at  any 
time  he  desired.  The  Alvarenga  legacy  of  $4140.38  was  received 
in  April,  1888.  A  portrait  of  Dr.  Benjamin  Push  was  presented 
by  the  Misses  Push  in  November,  1888.  In  January,  1889,  Dr. 
D.  Hayes  Agnew  was  elected  President.  In  May,  1891,  the  death 
of  Dr.  Joseph  Leidy  was  announced.  A  special  meeting  was 
held  March  24,  1893,  to  take  action  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Agnew. 

In  accordance  with  a  resolution  of  the  College  on  January 
4,  1893,  a  committee  of  five,  consisting  of  Drs.  J.  M.  DaCosta, 
J.  C.  Wilson,  E.  0.  Shakespeare,  H.  C.  Wood,  and  Morris  J.  Lewis, 
was  appointed  by  the  President,  Dr.  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  to  report 
at  the  next  meeting  of  the  College  a  plan  of  action  in  regard  to 
the  threatened  epidemic  of  cholera. 

The  Committee  made  an  elaborate  report  on  February  1, 
1893,  dividing  the  subject  into  three  heads:  National,  State,  and 
Municipal  Quarantine,  Their  most  important  recommendations 
came  under  the  first  head  and  consisted  (1)  in  the  recommenda- 
tion that  "quarantine  at  all  frontiers  of  the  country  should  be 
immediately  taken  and  kept  under  the  exclusive  regulation  and 
control  of  the  National  Government;  (2)  that  steerage  passengers 
should  be  absolutely  prohibited  from  landing  in  this  country  dur- 
ing the  year  1893,  and  (3)  that  a  Department  of  Health  in  the 
United  States  Government,  "presided  over  by  Special  Cabinet 
Officer,"  should  be  established  or,  failing  this,  a  "Natioicil  Com- 
mission similar  to  those  now  existing  in  England,  Germany, 
France,  and  other  countries,  the  scope  of  whose  functions  and 


16  The  College  of  Physicians 

authority  shall  cover  quarantine  and  other  subjects  connected 
with  public  health."    The  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted. 

At  the  meeting  of  April  5th,  in  jDursuance  of  a  resolution 
introduced  by  Dr.  Morris  J.  Lewis  on  March  1st,  a  permanent 
Committee  on  Cholera,  consisting  of  E.  0.  Shakespeare,  J,  M. 
DaCosta,  H.  C.  Wood,  J.  C.  Wilson,  F.  P.  Henry,  Morris  J.  Lewis, 
and  J.  K.  Mitchell,  was  appointed.  On  May  3d  Dr.  J.  H.  Musser 
was  appointed  in  place  of  Dr.  Lewis,  who  declined  to  serve. 

Thanks  to  the  vigorous  measures  adopted  at  our  seaports, 
especially  New  York,  the  threatened  visitation  of  cholera  was 
averted. 

In  March,  1893,  Dr.  Osier  proposed  that  The  College  of  Phy- 
sicians take  the  initiative  in  causing  to  be  erected  in  England 
a  hospital  in  memory  of  Dr.  Edward  Jenner  who,  ninety-one 
years  before,  had  been  denied  the  honor  of  being  elected  an 
Associate  Fellow.  In  June,  1893,  a  photograph  of  the  famous 
painting  of  Dr.  John  Morgan,  by  Angelica  Kauffman,  was  j)re- 
sented  by  D.  T.  Watson,  Esq.,  of  Pittsburgh.  In  1893  a  resolu- 
tion was  adopted  congratulating  the  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  the  Eevision  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  on  the  successful  conclusion 
of  his  labors.  In  April,  1894,  Clement  A.  Griscom,  Esq.,  pre- 
sented $5000  to  establish  the  John  D.  Griscom  Book  Fund.  Dur- 
ing January,  1895,  a  further  effort  was  made  to  take  steps  to 
secure  a  Department  of  Public  Health  and  Preventive  Medicine 
in  the  United  States  Government.  In  April,  1896,  the  College 
again  urged  upon  City  Councils  the  importance  of  establishing 
filtration  of  the  drinking  water.  In  April,  1897,  the  College 
memorialized  Congress,  protesting  against  the  removal  of  books 
and  philosophical  apparatus  from  the  duty-free  list  when  im- 
ported for  scientific  societies.  In  January,  1898,  Dr.  John  Ash- 
hurst,  Jr.,  was  elected  President.  A  gift  of  $5000,  to  which  another 
$1000  was  subsequently  added,  was  made  to  the  College  by  H.  E. 
Hatfield,  Esq.,  and  Walter  Hatfield,  Esq.,  the  interest  of  which 
was  to  be  devoted  to  the  giving  of  a  prize  for  original  research 
in  medicine  every  three  years.  In  the  event  of  no  essay  being 
deemed  of  sufficient  merit  to  gain  the  prize,  the  trustees  were 
empowered  to  appoint  some  one  to  pursue  a  line  of  investigation 
and  to  appropriate  a  sum  of  money  toward  the  expenses.  In 
October,  1898,  announcement  of  the  death  of  Dr.  William  Pepper 
was  made.     The  Oliver  A.  Judson  Prize  was  established  by  the 


The  College  of  Physicians  17 

deposit  of  $1000,  the  prize  to  be  awardeil  when  the  interest 
rihonld  amount  to  $100,  and  the  subject  of  the  competing  essays 
to  be  the  practical  prevention  of  disease.  This  bequest  was  sub- 
sequently converted  by  Mrs.  Judson  into  a  fund  for  the  purchase 
of  books  on  preventive  medicine.  The  Henrietta  Rush  Fales 
Baker  Fund  was  established  by  the  gift  of  $5000  by  Dr.  George 
Fales  Baker,  the  income  to  be  used  for  the  purchase  of  books. 
A  gift  of  $5000  to  the  T.ibrary  Endowment  Fund  was  secured  upon 
condition  that  $50,000  be  raised.  In  January,  1900,  Dr.  W.  W. 
Keen  was  elected  President.  The  W.  W.  Keen  Library  Fund  of 
$5000  was  started  by  a  gift  of  $1000  by  Dr.  Keen.  In  May,  1900, 
the  Library  Endowment  Fund  reached  the  sum  of  $50,000.  Dur- 
ing this  year  the  College  suffered  heavily  in  the  loss  by  death  of 
three  of  its  most  distinguished  members,  Drs.  John  As"hhurst,  Jr., 
J.  M.  DaCosta,  and  Alfred  Stille.  Dr.  DaCosta,  in  a  legacy,  pre- 
sented to  the  College  a  sum  of  $5000  for  the  endowment  of  the 
Publication  Fund.  Mrs.  S.  Weir  Mitchell  presented  a  portrait 
of  Dr.  Mitchell.  In  December,  1900,  Dr.  Mitchell  pointed  out 
the  need  of  more  space  for  the  library,  and  advised  abandoning 
ihe  museum.    The  matter  was  referred  to  the  Council. 

In  January,  1901.  the  portrait  of  Dr.  Joseph  Leidy  was  pre- 
sented by  Mrs.  Joseph  Leidy,  Jr.  Dr.  W.  W.  Keen  was  elected 
President.  In  May,  1901,  a  committee  of  seven  was  appointed 
to  consider  the  present  condition  and  the  future  needs  of  the 
College.  On  December  8,  1901,  the  death  of  Dr.  William  F.  Norris 
was  announced.  In  January,  1903,  Dr.  H.  C.  Wood  was  elected 
President.  A  portrait  of  Dr.  W.  W.  Keen  was  presented  by  a 
committee  of  the  Fellows.  In  December,  1902,  a  committee  of 
five  was  appointed  to  confer  with  committees  appointed  by  other 
organizations  upon  the  advisability  of  moving  the  City  Alms- 
house, the  Insane  Hospital,  and  the  Municipal  Hospital  from 
their  present  location.  In  January,  1903,  Dr.  Mitchell  announced 
that  he  had  secured  from  ]\Ir.  Andrew  Carnegie  the  promise  of 
a  gift  to  the  College  of  $50,000  conditional  upon  the  College  rais- 
ing an  equal  amount.  This  fund  was  to  be  used  to  furnish  in- 
creased accommodation  for  the  Lil)rary.  A  resolution  was 
adopted  and  sent  to  the  President  of  the  United  States,  advising 
the  bestowal  of  the  "amplest  powers  upon  the  medical  officers  in 
charge  of  the  sanitation  of  the  Panama  Canal."  "And  that  (o 
attain  this  end  a  medical  officer  should  be  a  member  of  (he  com- 


18  The    College  of    Physicians 

mission  which  the  President  of  the  United  States  is  authorized 
to  appoint  to  conduct  the  affairs  of  the  proposed  canal."  A  reso- 
lution was  adopted  favoring  the  passage  of  a  bill  to  give  a  pen- 
sion of  $4000  a  year  to  Mrs.  Eeed,  the  widow  of  Dr.  Walter  Eeed, 
who  died  a  martyr  to  his  researches  on  yellow  fever.  On  January 
31,  1903,  a  special  meeting  was  held.  The  President  in  an  ad- 
dress referred  to  the  growing  needs  of  the  library  for  increased 
space,  and  exhibited  a  plan  for  alterations  to  the  building.  A 
committee  of  seven  was  appointed  to  collect  a  sum  of  $50,000 
to  comply  with  the  conditions  attached  to  the  gift  of  Mr.  Car- 
negie. A  committee  was  also  appointed  to  consider  plans.  In 
March,  1903,  Dr.  Mitchell  announced  that  the  subscriptions  to 
the  building  fund  had  reached  the  sum  of  $53,000,  and  on  April 
1,  1903,  the'  subscriptions  amounted  to  $105,000.  The  names  of 
Andrew  Carnegie,  Clement  A.  Griscom,  and  Frederick  W.  Van- 
derbilt,  were  ordered  to  be  placed  on  a  tablet  containing  the 
names  of  eminent  benefactors  of  the  College.  The  committee  to 
consider  plans  reported  and  was  discharged.  A  committee  was 
then  appointed  to  consider  the  question  of  either  moving  to  a 
new  building  or  altering  the  present  one.  This  committee  was 
given  power  to  secure  options  on  one  or  more  properties,  and 
was  ordered  to  report  at  a  special  meeting  not  later  than  No- 
vember 1,  1903.  On  May  29,  1903,  at  a  special  meeting,  the  pur- 
chase of  a  lot  at  Twenty-second  and  Ludlow  Streets  was  author- 
ized by  the  College  for  a  simi  of  $80,000.  In  June,  1903,  the 
death  of  Dr.  Thomas  G.  Morton  was  announced.  A  committee  of 
five  was  appointed  to  report  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Cellege 
on  the  municipal  control  of  contagious  diseases.  In  November, 
1903,  a  committee  on  plans  for  the  new  building  was  appointed. 
In  January,  1904,  Dr.  A.  V.  Meigs  was  elected  President.  In 
March,  1904,  resolutions  were  adopted  containing  "desirable 
regulations  for  the  prevention  of  infectious  diseases  in  Phila- 
delphia" (fifteen  paragraphs).  At  a  special  meeting  March  30th, 
the  College  voted  to  move  to  Twenty-second  and  Ludlow  Streets. 
A  building  committee  of  six  was  appointed  and  directed  to  select 
an  architect  and  secure  plans,  specifications,  and  bids,  so  that  the 
cost  of  building  might  be  known.  This  committee  was  ordered 
to  report  in  the  Autumn,  and  was  authorized  to  spend  $3000  in 
its  investigations.  In  May,  1904,  a  minority  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  report  to   the   College  in  November  an  alternative 


The  College  of  Physicians  19 

proposition  to  that  of  moving  from  its  location.  Following  the 
report  of  this  committee  in  November,  the  sale  of  the  lot  at 
Twenty-second  and  Lndiow  Streets  was  directed,  and  an  option 
ordered  to  be  taken  on  a  lot  at  Eighteenth  and  Eittenhouse 
Streets.  This  option,  however,  was  not  assumed  because  of 
building  restrictions  on  the  property.  At  a  special  meeting,  De- 
cember 13,  1904,  a  resolution  to  remain  at  Thirteenth  and  Locust 
Streets  was  laid  on  the  table;  a  resolution  to  buy  1233  and  1235 
Locust  Street  was  laid  on  the  table.  The  minority  committee 
was  discharged  and  a  new  committee  of  five  was  appointed  to 
report  at  the  next  meeting  a  desirable  site.  Li  January,  1905, 
the  committee  on  site  recommended  the  purchase  from  the  city 
of  a  property  at  Seventeenth  and  Pine  Streets,  occupied  as  a 
sehoolhoiise,  for  $50,000,  and  asked  for  power  to  secure  the  pas- 
sage of  an  ordinance  in  Councils  legalizing  the  transfer.  This 
proposition  was  referred  back  to  the  committee.  In  February, 
1905,  the  Officers  of  the  College  were  authorized  to  enter  into  an 
agreement  with  the  city  to  purchase  the  property  within  three 
years  and,  one  month  later.  Councils  gave  the  necessary  authority. 
The  President  of  the  College  appointed  three  delegates  to  repre- 
sent the  College  at  the  installation  of  Edmund  Jones  James,  Ph.D.. 
LL.D.,  as  President  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  The  death  of 
Dr.  William  S.  Forbes  was  announced  in  January,  1906.  In 
February,  1906,  an  invitation  was  received  from  the  American 
Philosophical  Society  to  send  representatives  of  the  College  to 
the  celebration  of  the  two  Imndredth  anniversay  of  the  birth  of 
Benjamin  Franklin.  In  May,  1906,  the  Board  of  Education  stated 
that  they  could  not  vacate  the  Grant  School,  situated  at  Seven- 
teenth and  Pine  Streets,  in  the  time  mentioned  in  the  resolution 
of  Councils.  The  Fellows  of  the  College  were  requested  to  co- 
operate with  the  Philadelphia  County  Medical  Society  in  its  efforts 
to  raise  funds  for  the  immediate  and  permanent  relief  of  the 
physicians  of  San  Francisco  who  had  suffered  so  greatly  in  the 
recent  earthquake.  At  this  meeting  also  the  College  reaffirmed 
its  intention  of  erecting  a  building  on  the  lot  at  Twenty-second 
and  Ludlow  Streets.  The  old  building  committee,  constituted  in 
April,  1904,  was  directed  to  proceed  with  the  duty  assigned  to 
it  in  the  matter  of  plans  and  estimates,  and  to  present  its  findings 
at  the  October  meeting.  In  Juno,  1906,  tlic  libi'ary  committee 
waf:  aiilhorized.  nt  its  discretion,   to  present  dnplicnlc   hooks   to 


20  rhe   College  of    Physicians 

the  medical  libraries  of  San  Francisco.  In  December,  190G,  Messrs. 
C.  C.  Harrison  and  W.  W.  Frazier  each  presented  $10,000  to 
the  Building  Fnnd,  and  one  of  the  Fellows  promised  $5,000  if 
five  more  subscriptions  of  the  same  amount  could  be  obtained. 
In  January,  1907,  Dr.  James  Tyson  was  elected  President,  and 
a  subscription  of  $1000  to  the  Building  Fund  was  received  from 
Mrs.  S.  Weir  Mitchell.  The  building  committee  reported  that 
architects  had  been  selected  and  submitted  plans.  Mr.  Clement 
B.  Newbold  contributed  $10,000  to  the  Building  Fund,  and  Dr. 
John  K.  Mitchell  also  gave  $1,000.  In  April,  1907,  the  Officers 
of  the  College  were  authorized  to  sign  a  contract  for  the  erection 
of  the  new  building,  and  the  report  of  the  building  committee 
was  accepted.  The  new  building  was  to  be  erected  at  a  cost  not 
to  exceed  $250,000,  and  in  accordance  with  the  plans  submitted 
by  the  committee  and  adopted  by  the  College.  The  death  of 
Dr.  John  H.  Packard  was  announced  in  June,  1907,  and  in  Octo- 
ber, 1907,  that  of  Dr.  William  Thomson.  The  Elizabeth  K.  New- 
comet  Fund  of  $1000  was  established  for  the  purchase  of  books. 
The  College  authorized  the  annual  appointment  of  a  committee 
on  scientific  business.  In  November,  1907,  announcement  was 
made  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Charles  S.  Wurts,  former  Treasurer 
of  the  College.  In  January,  1908,  the  William  F.  Norris  Book 
Fund,  founded  by  a  bequest  of  John  Lambert,  Esq.,  was  an- 
nounced. In  February,  the  C-ollege  a]iproved  the  order  ]5lacing 
naval  surgeons  in  command  of  United  States  Hospital  ships.  In 
March,  1908,  a  gift  of  $50,000  was  received  from  Mrs.  Frederick 
Penfield  in  memory  of  her  father,  the  late  William  Weightman. 
Esq.,  the  income  alone  from  this  sum  to  be  devoted  to  whatever 
purpose  the  College  might  elect.  x\  committee  was  appointed  to 
dispose  of  the  College  real  estate  at  Thirteenth  and  Locust  Streets 
by  sale.  On  April  29th  the  cornerstone  of  the  new  College  build- 
ing was  laid  by  Dr.  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  and  appropriate  ceremonies 
were  held  in  the  presence  of  a  large  number  of  Fellows  and  in- 
vited guests.  To  meet  the  estimated  increase  in  the  cost  of  main- 
tenance the  annual  dues  were  raised  to  $30,  and  the  initiation  fee 
made  $35. 

DIRECTORY  FOR  NURSES 

On  February  1,  1882,  Dr.  S.  Weir  Mitchell  suggested  the 
project  of  establishing  a  registration  of  nurses  and,  on  his  mo- 
tion,  a  committee   was   appointed    to   organize   a   Directory   for 


The  College  of  Physicians  21 

^NTurses.  On  March  1st,  the  committee  reported  tliat  more  than 
$1,000  had  been  subscribed,  hirgely  by  ladies  who  had  become  inter- 
ested in  the  enterprise.  On  May  15th,  the  office  of  the  Dii'ectory 
was  opened  on  the  ground  floor  of  the  College  building,  with  Miss 
Emily  Thomas  as  Secretary.  The  Directory  is  under  the  direct 
control  of  three  Fellows  of  the  College,  annually  elected,  assisted 
by  a  committee  of  ladies  appointed  by  tbem.  The  number  of  these 
ladies,  at  first  four,  was  subsequently  reduced  to  three.  The  income 
of  the  Directory,  derived,  in  part,  from  the  registration  fees  of  the 
nurses,  but  chiefly  from  the  fees  paid  by  those  who  obtain  nurses 
through  its  agency,  usually  exceeds  its  expenses,  and  the  surplus  is 
appropriated  to  the  use  of  the  library. 

THE  LIBRARY 

Very  early  in  the  history  of  the  College  the  necessity  of  a 
library  became  apparent,  and  on  June  3,  1788,  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  formulate  a  plan  for  its  establishment.  In  conse- 
quence of  its  report  a  resolution  was  adopted  "that  the  several 
members  of  the  College  be  requested  to  send  to  the  Secretary 
such  books  as  they  mean  to  present  to  the  College."  In  Decem- 
ber, 1789,  Dr.  John  Morgan  presented  twenty-four  volumes  and 
added  a  further  gift  in  the  following  month,  thus  forming  the 
nucleus  of  the  present  library.  The  following  report  of  the  commit- 
tee for  the  formation  of  a  library  was  submitted  and  adopted  on 
March  3,  1789 : 

"First,  that  the  business  of  collecting  books  from  the  mem- 
bers by  way  of  donation  to  the  library,  of  procuring  a  suitable 
place  for  keeping  them,  and  a  person  to  attend  at  stated  times 
for  lending  them  to  Ihe  members,  be  commitled  to  the  Censors 
and  Secretary,  who  shall  consult  the  College  ros))ocling  the  time 
and  manner  of  lending  them. 

"Second,  that  on  the  lirst  Tiicsdjiy  of  July  of  every  year,  as 
soon  as  the  Treasurer  has  made  his  annual  report  of  the  balance 
remaining  in  his  hands,  the  College  do  grant  such  sums  as  they 
may  think  proper  for  the  service  of  the  library  for  the  ensuing 
year." 

In  October,  1789,  Drs.  Williatu  Slii|)|)cii.  .Ir..  .loliii  Morris,  and 
•John  .Jones  presented  volumes  to  the  library.  In  November,  the 
President  was  authoiized  to  expend  fifty  pounds  for  the  purchase 
of  books.     In  1790.  some  voliiiru's  Avere  imnnilcd,  iind  in   17!>3,  Dr. 


22  The  College  of    Physicians 

Eush  presented  Sydeiiliam's  works.  In  1795,  Dr.  Parke  sent 
thirty-five  pounds  to  purchase  l)ooks  and  reported  the  receipt  of 
twelve  volumes  from  London.  From  that  date  until  1818  fre- 
quent additions  to  the  library  were  made  by  gifts,  and  by  pur- 
chase at  home  and  abroad.  On  the  report  of  the  Censors  that 
some  volumes  from  the  library  were  missing,  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  make  a  catalogue.  Drs.  William  Currie,  Samuel  P. 
Griffitts,  and  Thomas  T.  Hewson  completed  the  catalogue  in 
January,  1819.  On  Jvme  7,  1836,  the  Library  Committee  reported 
that  the  library  contained  291  volumes  and  some  imboiind  pam- 
phlets. From  that  time  until  1843  very  few  volumes  were  added, 
and  the  library  was  "rarely,  if  ever,  used."  In  May,  1844,  the 
medical  library  of  Dr.  Otto  was  purchased  for  $200,  and,  as  there 
was  no  space  for  this  collection  in  the  College  apartments,  it  was 
placed  in  a  room  over  the  office  of  Dr.  Hodge  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  Ninth  and  Walnut  Streets.  The  Library  Committee 
advised  that  a  librarian  be  present  for  one  hour,  twice  monthly, 
to  deliver  books.  In  June,  1845,  the  committee  reported  that 
the  library  was  but  seldom  used.  On  August  5th  it  was  resolved 
that  the  library  should  be  kept  open  from  11  a.m.  until  2  p.m. 
Most  of  the  medical  periodicals  of  the  United  States  and  one 
from  Canada  were  received  in  exchange  for  the  Transactions  of 
the  College.  The  Philadelphia  Medical  Society  deposited  its 
library  in  the  College  December  1,  184fi.  On  June  6,  1855,  the 
library,  then  installed  in  the  "picture  house''  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Hospital,  had  been  rearranged  and  catalogued,  and  350  volumes 
had  been  added  during  the  past  year.  On  November  4th,  900 
volumes  were  received  from  Dr.  Thomas  F.  Betton,  including 
some  rare  and  important  works.  The  library  then  contained  3560 
volumes.  On  May  4,  1859,  because  of  increased  interest,  the 
library  was  kept  open  one  evening  in  each  week.  On  December 
3,  1862,  the  State  Medical  Society  presented  a  complete  set  of 
its  Transactions  and  192  volumes  of  French  theses  were  presented 
by  Fellows  of  the  College.  The  most  important  event  in  the 
history  of  the  library  was  the  gift  of  2500  volumes  by  Dr.  Sam- 
uel F.  Lewis  in  1864.  These  books,  which  were  the  origin  of  the 
"Lewis  Library,"  had  been  carefully  selected  by  Dr.  Lewis,  who 
was  an  accomplished  scholar  and  an  ardent  lover  of  books.  For 
about  twenty-five  years  he  devoted  the  greater  portion  of  his  time 
to  his  library  which,  at  the  date  of  his  death  in  1890,  contained 


The  College  of  Physicians  23 

more  than  11,000  volumes.  The  choicest  treasures  of  the  library 
of  the  College  of  Physicians  are  to  be  found  in  the  Lewis  col- 
lection. 

On  April  4,  1866,  Dr.  George  B.  Wood  agreed  to  give  $500 
annuall}^  for  the  salary  of  a  librarian  in  order  that  the  library 
might  be  kept  open  daily.  The  library  was  then  in  charge  of 
the  Standing  Committee  on  the  Library,  and  the  first  librarian 
was  elected  January  3,  1855.  In  March,  1871,  a  Journal  Asso- 
ciation was  formed,  and  subscriptions  were  made  to  a  few  of  the 
best  English,  French,  and  German  journals.  On  November  5, 
1880,  Dr.  S.  Weir  Mitchell  presented  $1000,  and  subsequently 
increased  this  sum  to  a  total  of  $5000,  the  money  being  invested 
under  the  title  of  the  Weir  Mitchell  Library  Fund,  and  the  in- 
come therefrom  devoted  to  the  purchase  of  books  and  journals. 
On  February  20,  1881,  a  card  catalogue  was  commenced.  In  1882, 
by  amendment  of  the  ordinances  and  bj^-laws,  the  office  of  Hon- 
orary Librarian  was  created.  During  this  year  the  libraries  of 
four  deceased  Fellows  were  received,  namely,  those  of  Drs. 
Charles  D.  Meigs,  John  Forsyth  Meigs,  E.  M.  Bertolet,  and 
William  F.  Jenks.  On  January  3,  1883,  Dr.  James  H.  Hutchinson 
was  elected  the  first  Honorar}^  Librarian,  and  the  Library  Com- 
mittee was  empowered  to  appoint  an  assistant  librarian  on  a 
salary.  In  1884,  the  Samuel  D.  Gross  Library  of  the  Philadelpliia 
Academy  of  Surgery,  consisting  of  5128  volumes,  was  presented 
as  a  permanent  deposit.  The  library  of  Dr.  H.  Lenox  Hodge 
was  deposited  in  the  library  of  the  College  during  the  same  year, 
and  subsequently  was  presentecl  to  the  College  by  Dr.  Hodge's 
son.  901  volumes  were  presented  by  Dr.  I.  ]\rinis  Hays  during  this 
year.  In  1886.  Mrs.  Weightman  ])rescnted  the  library  of  her  hus- 
band. Dr.  John  F.  Weightman,  and  the  sum  of  $1000,  the  income 
therefrom  to  be  devoted  to  purchase  of  books  on  ophthalmologT. 
The  library  of  the  Obstetrical  Society  was  presented  as  a  permanent 
deposit  during  the  same  year.  The  College  library  was  now  begin- 
ning to  exceed  its  accommodations,  and  the  Library  Committee 
reported  that  some  1500  volumes  were  packed  on  top  of  the  cases. 
In  1888,  book  cases  were  placed  in  the  lower  west  reading  room,  and 
in  1889,  a  gallery  was  erected  and  filled  with  book  cases  and  a  spiral 
^^tai^way  was  built  from  this  room  to  the  second-story  reading  room. 
In  1890,  Dr.  Frederick  P.  Henry  was  elected  Honorary  Librarian  to 
succeed  the  late  Dr.  James  H.  TTutcliinson.    In  1801,  Mi-s.  D(^l)oniii 


24  The  College  of   Physicians 

K.  liodman  presented  the  College  with  $5000,  the  income  to  be  used 
for  the  purchase  of  books.  The  gift  was  in  memory  of  her  hus- 
band, Dr.  Lewis  Rodman,  and  the  fund  bears  his  name.  In  1892, 
iron  book  stacks  were  erected  in  the  lower  east  room.  In  1894, 
Mr.  Clement  A.  Griscom  presented  $5000  in  memory  of  his 
father,  Dr.  John  D.  Griscom,  the  income  from  this  fund  to  be 
used  for  the  purchase  of  books.  During  this  year  the  Library 
Committee  procured  796  French  and  German  dissertations,  377 
volumes  of  foreigTi  journals,  and  began  the  completion  of  the 
files  of  thirty-three  of  the  most  valuable  French  and  German 
periodicals;  this  latter  event  was  accomplished  in  the  following 
year,  and  29-t  additional  volumes  of  foreign  journals  were  pur- 
chased. During  1896  and  1897  Dr.  DaCosta  presented  293  vol- 
umes to  complete  the  files  of  several  important  foreign  period- 
icals. In  1899,  Dr.  Baker  presented  $5000  to  establish  a  fund  to 
be  known  as  the  Henrietta  Rush  Fales  Baker  Library  Fund,  the 
income  to  be  used  for  the  purchase  of  books. 

In  1896,  the  College  passed  a  resolution  proposed  by  Dr. 
F.  P.  Henry  "To  obtain  subscriptions  from  the  general  public 
toward  a  fund  for  the  endowment  of  the  Library."  During  1899, 
many  subscriptions  to  the  Library  endowment  fund,  both  from 
Fellows  and  from  the  public,  were  obtained,  and  by  July  1,  1900, 
the  sum  had  reached  $50,000.  During  this  year  also  the  Library 
Committee  was  directed  to  obtain  b}'^  exchange  the  French  theses 
and  German  dissertations. 

In  1900,  the  Library  received  6963  theses  and  inaugural  dis- 
sertations, and  exchanged  publications  with  six  foreign  univer- 
sities. These  were  mainly  effected  through  the  efforts  of  the 
President  of  the  College,  Dr.  W.  W.  Keen.  In  the  same  year  the 
valuable  library  of  the  late  J.  M.  DaCosta,  2466  volumes,  was 
presented  to  the  College.  During  this  year  the  Librarian  called 
the  attention  of  the  Library  Committee  to  the  condition  of 
the  card  catalogue,  with  the  result  that  a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  College  to  obtain  by  subscription  the  sum  of  $2500 
for  the  purpose  of  bringing  it  up  to  the  standard  of  modern 
library  equipment.  The  sum  of  $1900  was  collected  by  this 
committee. 

In  1901,  by  legacy  of  Dr.  John  Ashhurst,  Jr.,  1500  volumes 
from  his  library  were  presented  to  the  College.  This  bequest 
contained  many  valuable  works. 


The  College  of  Physicians  25 

In  April,  1901,  the  Library  Coiiiinittee  purchased  the  valu- 
able collection  of  books  of  the  late  Dr.  J.  Stockton  Hough.  They 
were  enabled  to  accomplish  this  largely  by  the  aid  of  generous 
subscriptions  from  Drs.  George  Fales  Baker,  S.  Weir  Mitchell, 
and  John  K.  Mitchell.  Duplicate  copies  and  non-medical  books 
of  the  collection  were  sold  to  the  Library  of  the  University  of 
Penns3'lvania  for  $1500.  The  Hough  collection  was  from  the 
standard  of  the  bibliophile,  the  most  important  addition  that  has 
ever  been  made  to  the  library,  and  the  opportunity  of  securing 
it  was  chiefly  due  to  the  energy  of  Dr.  W.  W.  Keen,  who  visited 
New  York  on  behalf  of  the  College  and  negotiated  the  terms  of 
its  purchase. 

In  1902,  the  library  of  Dr.  William  F.  Norris,  containing  1177 
volumes  on  Ophthalmology,  was  presented  by  his  family. 

In  October,  1903,  Dr.  George  W.  Norris  presented  to  the 
library  three  volumes  containing  the  colored  plates  of  eye 
grounds,  made  from  the  original  drawings  and  notes  of  Prof. 
Edward  Jaeger,  of  Vienna.  These  volumes  also  contained 
ophthalmological  drawings  from  cases  seen  in  Dr.  Norris's 
practice. 

In  1904,  there  were  received  958  volumes  from  the  library  ol' 
the  late  Dr.  Thomas  M.  Drysdale.  In  1905,  gifts  of  1982  volumes 
and  54S  volumes  were  made  by  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Epis- 
copal Hospital  and  by  Dr.  James  V.  Ingham,  respectively.  In 
1906,  the  Library  contained  82.o05  volumes,  ofi.llfi  pamphlets. 
•?0,978  dissertations. 

In  1908,  33  rare  and  very  valuable  books  were  obtained 
through  the  efForts  of  Dr.  W.  W.  Keen,  21  of  these  being  of  the 
Fifteenth  Century. 

In  1908,  the  Library  contained  86,718  volumes,  67,122  pam- 
phlets, and  22,681  dissertations.  During  this  year  exchanges  with 
the  Faculte  de  Medecine  de  Paris  were  effected  through  the 
efforts  of  Drs.  Keen  and  Osier,  and  Drs.  A.  J.  Magnin  and  Louis 
Landouzy,  Dean  of  the  Medical  Faculty  of  the  University  of 
Paris.  "The  im])ortance  of  eompleting  our  files  of  the  Theses  de 
Paris  was  so  great  that  an  a])])oal  was  made  to  certain  Fellows 
of  the  College  for  subscriptions;  this  was  generously  responded 
to,  and  $1^15  were  collected  for  the  purpose.  Of  this  amount 
Dr.  Keen  obtained  $315,  and  the  Librarian  the  remainder.  This 
money  has  been  most  judiciously  expcuded  liy  Dr.  Kccu  while  in 


26  The   College  of   Physicians 

Paris,  and  his  purchases  will  complete  our  files  from  1882  to  1907 
— more  than  850  bound  volumes.""^ 

It  is  impossible  in  this  space  to  enter  into  further  details 
concerning  this  valuable  collection  of  medical  books.  As  remarked 
by  Mr,  Charles  Perry  Fisher  in  his  interesting  Account  of  the 
Library  of  the  College  of  Physicians:  "The  Library  of  the  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  contains  treasures  enough  to  fill  a  good  sized 
printed  volume." 

THE  BUILDING  FUNDS 

In  November,  1849,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  inquire 
into  the  cost  of  purchasing  a  lot  of  ground  and  constructing  a 
building  suitable  to  meet  the  expanding  conditions  of  the  College. 
This  committee  subsequently  reported  that  at  least  $20,000  would 
be  required  for  the  purpose,  and  that  the  best  means  of  raising 
such  a  sum  was  to  take  the  invested  securities  of  the  College, 
amounting  to  $945,  as  a  nucleus,  and  to  add  to  that  sum  such 
contributions  as  might  be  received  from  time  to  time.  In  1850, 
a  committee  was  appointed  to  solicit  subscriptions.  In  1859, 
after  nearly  ten  years  of  patient  work,  the  trustees  of  the  fund 
announced  to  the  College  that  they  had  in  their  possession  securi- 
ties to  the  value  of  $21,545.  In  receiving  this  report  the  College 
continued  the  Building  Fund  Trustees  in  office  for  another  five 
years,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  obtain  a  building  site. 
On  January  4,  1860,  this  committee  announced  that  the  north- 
east corner  of  Thirteenth  and  Locust  Streets  had  been  purchased 
for  $10,867.93.  Subsequently  an  adjoining  lot  18  by  118  feet, 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  property  was  purchased  for  a  sum  of 
$3540.67,  thus  making  the  total  expenditure  for  the  site  of  the 
building  $14,408.60.  On  December  18,  1861,  the  College  deter- 
mined to  begin  the  construction  of  its  new  building  at  Thirteenth 
and  Locust  Streets,  which  was  completed  and  occupied  for  the 
first  time  in  March,  1863.  At  that  time  the  Trustees  of  the 
Building  Fund  announced  a  debt  of  $5000  in  the ,  shape  of  a 
mortgage  on  the  building  of  which,  however,  the  College  was  soon 
relieved  by  a  generous  provision  in  the  will  of  Dr.  George  B. 
Wood.  On  February  3,  1864,  the  following  statement  appears 
in  the  report  of  the  Building  Committee:  "It  must  be  manifest 
that  we  have  reason  to  be  proud  of  what  the  profession  of  our 


3  Annual   Report  of  the   Library   Committee   of  the   College   of   Phy- 
sicians of  Philadelphia  for  the  year   1908. 


The  College  of  Physicians  27 

•L-ity  has  done  for  the  promotion  of  our  science,  the  improvement 
of  the  healing  art  and  the  relief  of  suffering.  And  this  has  nearly 
all  been  accomplished  by  the  contributions  from  our  hard-worked 
and  inadequately-compensated  profession,  the  whole  sum  fur- 
nished from  other  sources  amounting  to  only  about  $2500."  In 
a  very  few  years  a  second  building  fund  was  started  to  meet  the 
necessity  of  larger  accommodation.  In  1883,  Dr.  J.  M.  Da  Costa 
presented  $1000  to  serve  as  a  nucleus  for  this  fund.  Two  years 
later  it  had  increased  to  a  sum  of  $14,581,  and  the  committee  was 
authorized  to  add  a  third  story  to  the  Hall.  This  was  finally 
accomplished  without  incurring  debt,  the  last  $2500  being  gen- 
erously contributed  by  Mr.  George  W.  Childs. 

Again,  in  a  few  years,  the  tremendous  growth  of  the  College, 
or.  more  particularly  of  the  Library,  necessitated  larger  quarters. 
The  walls  of  the  old  building  were  pronounced  inadequate  to  sus- 
tain the  weight  of  more  book  shelves  or  books,  and  for  the  third 
time  in  the  history  of  the  College  a  building  fund  was  instituted 
and  so  generously  supported  as  to  make  possible  the  construc- 
tion of  the  splendid  new  home  of  the  College  at  Twenty-second 
and  Ludlow  Streets.  The  story  of  this  fund  is  so  closely  inter- 
woven with  the  intimate  history  of  the  College  that  no  detailed 
account  of  it  will  here  be  given. 

It  is  not  possible  in  a  history  of  these  necessarily  narrow 
limits  to  give  in  any  detail  accounts  of  the  individual  benefactors 
of  the  College  throughout  its  long  and  honorable  career.  In  all 
its  financial  crises  strong  men  have  arisen  among  its  Fellows 
either  to  help  with  money  from  their  own  pockets,  or  by  raising 
interest  in  others,  to  aid  in  the  development  of  their  valuable  In- 
stitution. Without  making  any  invidious  comparisons,  we  may 
mention  some  names  among  the  Fellowship  which  stand  forth  as 
those  of  conspicuous  benefactors:  John  Ecdman,  the  first  Presi- 
dent, who  served  for  eighteen  years;  John  Morgan,  a  Founder  of 
the  College,  who  presented  the  first  voltimes  to  form  a  library; 
Oeorge  B.  Wood,  who  sen-ed  the  College  as  President  for  thirty 
years  and  gave  liberally  to  its  needs;  Thomas  0.  Miiiter,  who 
]»resented  his  museum  anc]  endowed  a  lectureship  which  bears  his 
name;  Samuel  F.  T^ewis,  who  presented  his  large  and  valuable 
library;  Drs.  Gross,  Ashhiirsl,  DaCosta,  Stille,  and  numy  others 
who  left  their  libraries  after  their  deatli  to  the  Colloge;  ^Vi^iam 
W.  Keen,  who  has  aided  in  collecting  large  sums  of  Tuonoy  I'di-  the 


28  The  College  of    Physicians 

new  home  oJ'  the  College,  established  exchanges  with  many  for- 
eign universities,  and  given  most  liberally  to  its  various  needs ; 
S.  Weir  Mitchell,  who  for  a  period  of  fifty  years  has  been  most 
active  in  every  advance.  To  him,  more  than  any  one,  is  due  the 
collection  of  the  great  sums  that  were  necessary  to  build  the  new 
home  of  the  College.  It  is  difficult  to  mention  any  of  its  activi- 
ties without  recording  the  fact  that  Dr.  Mitchell  was  in  the  fore- 
front not  only  with  valuable  counsel  and  advice,  but  also  with 
generous  gifts  of  money  and  unflagging  zeal  in  interesting  other? 
to  give  of  their  plenty  to  a  great  cause. 

In  conclusion  the  name  of  Andrew  Carnegie  should  never 
be  omitted  from  a  history  of  the  College  of  Physicians.  His  gen- 
erous gifts  of  two  sums  of  $50,000  each  have  laid  upon  it  a  debt 
of  honor  to  live  up  to  the  record  of  great  achievement  and  public 
utility  that  has  been  handed  down  by  the  great  Fellows  of  the 
past. 

Memorable  dates  in  the  history  of  the  College  of  Physician^ 
of  Philadelphia: 

Institution  of  the  College,  January  2,  1787. 

Institution  of  the  Library,  March  3,  1788. 

Incorporation  of  the  College.  March  26,  1789. 

Institution  of  the  Pathological  Museum,  June  5,  1849. 

Institution  of  the  first  building  fund,  Kovember  2,  1849. 

Institution  of  the  Mutter  Museum,  December  11,  1858. 

Institution  of  the  second  building  fund,  April  7,  1875. 

The  College  first  occupied  its  own  premises  in  March,  1863. 

Completion  of  a  third  story  for  accommodation  of  the  Mn- 
seum,  May  31,  1886. 

Celebration  of  the  Centennial  anniversary,  January  3,  1887. 

Institution  of  a  third  building  fund,  January  21,  1903. 

Purchase  of  lot  at  Twenty-second  and  Ludlow  Streets,  May 
29,  1903. 

Laying  of  cornerstone  of  new  hnilding  at  Twenty-second  and 
Ludlow  Streets,  April  29,  1908. 

Presidents. — John  Eedman,  1786;  William  Shippen,  Jr.,  1805  : 
Adam  Kuhn,  1808:  Thomas  Parke,  1818:  Thomas  C.  James. 
1835;  Thomas  T.  Hewson,  1835;  George  B.  Wood,  1848;  W.  S. 
W.  Euschenberger,  1879;  Alfred  Stille,  1883;  Samuel  Lewis. 
1884;  J.  M.  DaCosta,  1884;  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  1886;  D.  Hayes 
A.ffnew,   1889;    S.   Weir  Mitchell.   1892:    J.   M.   DaCosta,   1895: 


The  Collep:e  of  Physicians  29 


'to 


John  Ashhiim,  Jr..  1898;   \V.  W.  Iveeu,  1900;   H.  C.  Wood,  1902; 
A.  V.  Meigs,  1904;   James  Tyson,  1907. 

Tice-Presidents. — John  Jones,  lT8(i;  William  Shippen,  Jr., 
1T91;  Adam  Kuhn,  1805 ;  Samuel  DulField,  1808;  Thomas  Parke, 
1813;  Samuel  P.  Griffitts,  1818 ;  Thomas  C.  James,  1826;  Thomas 
T.  Hewson,  1835 ;  Joseph  Parrish,  1835 ;  John  C.  Otto,  1840 ;  Henry 
Xeill,  1844;  George  B.  Wood,  1845;  Charles  D.  Meigs,  1848; 
Franklin  Baehe,  1855;  George  W.  Norris,  1864;  W.  S.  W.  Rusch- 
enberger,  1875;  Alfred  Stille,  1879;  J.  M.  DaCosta,  1883;  S.- 
Weir  Mitchell,  1884;  John  H.  Packard,  1886;  James  H.  Hutch- 
inson, 1889;  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  1890;  J.  M.  DaCosta,  1892;  John 
Ashhurst,  Jr.,  1895;  W.  W.  Keen,  1898;  H.  C.  Wood,  1900: 
Arthur  V.  Meigs,  1902:  James  Tyson,  1904;  George  K.  Do 
Sehweinitz,  1907. 

Secretaries. — James  Hutchinson,  1786;  Samuel  P.  Griffitts, 
1788;.  Thomas  C.  James,  1796;  Thomas  T.  Hewson,  1802: 
Joseph  Parrish.  1812;  J.  Wilson  Moore,  1819;  Samuel  Emlen, 
1820;  Charles  D.  Meigs,  1828;  Henry  Bond,  1833;  D.  Francis 
Condie,  1843:  Francis  West,  1854;  W.  S.  W.  Ruschenberger, 
1854;  Alfred  Stille,  1854;  Edward  Hartshorne,  1858;  John  H. 
Packard,  1862:  William  G.  Porter,  1877;  Richard  A.  Cleemann. 
1879;  Isaac  Norris,  Jr.,  1885;  Charles  W.  Dulles,  1891;  Thomas 
R.  Neilson,  1896. 

Treasurers.  —  Gerardns  Clarkson,  1786;  Samuel  Duffield. 
1790;  Benjamin  Say,  1791;  Thomas  C.  James,  1809;  J.  Wilson 
Moore,  1825:  J.  Rodman  Paul,  1839:  Charles  S.  Wurts.  1877: 
Henry  M.  Fisher.  1894;    Richard  H.  Harte,  1899. 

Honorari/  Librarians. — James  H.  Hutchinson,  1883 ;  Fred- 
prick  P.  Henry,  1890. 

Lihrarians.—T.  Hewson  Bache,  1855;  C.  S.  Boker,  1864; 
J.  H.  Slack,  1865;  Robert  Bridges,  1868;  Frank  Woodbury,  1881; 
Charles  P.  Fisher, ^  1882. 


•i  Mr.  Fislipr  was  encjafrcd  as  Assistant  Librarian,  subsequently 
appointed  Librarian,  and  at  present  has  also  the  title  and  function  of 
Superintendent  of  the  Vmilding. 


